After mutual attacks: Trump threatens Iran again

“They took too long to negotiate a great deal for themselves, now they must face the consequences!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform this afternoon, referring to the negotiations over a framework agreement between the two countries that have been dragging on for weeks. Exactly what consequences Trump meant remained unclear.

At the same time, he once again declared Iran’s military to be largely defeated. The Iranian armed forces are “in complete disarray,” he wrote. Large parts of them, such as the navy and air force, no longer exist. “They have been completely defeated,” Trump continued, “the tyrant of the Middle East is DEAD!!!”

Days earlier, in an interview with NBC News, the U.S. president had estimated that Iran still possessed a good fifth of its missile arsenal. That was still a lot of missiles, but no longer what Iran had initially possessed, Trump added.

Trump: U.S. blockade acts like a “wall of steel”

Trump also emphasized on Truth Social that Iran is severely weakened economically. The blockade of Iranian ports imposed by the U.S. is extremely effective and acts like a “STEEL WALL,” the president wrote. The Islamic Republic can no longer conduct any business and is unable to pay its bills or finance its military.

In response to Iran’s de facto blockade of the strait, the U.S. had imposed its own blockade of Iranian ports to weaken the country, which relies economically on oil trade. The U.S. has long been trying—so far in vain—to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. Global energy prices skyrocketed with the start of the war, putting pressure on the Trump administration.

Mutual attacks continue

Despite a ceasefire and ongoing negotiations to end the war in the Gulf region, the U.S. and Iran attacked each other again on Tuesday night. In response to the downing of a U.S. helicopter, the Iranian military bombed air defense installations, ground control stations, and radar facilities in the Strait of Hormuz area, as the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) reported on X.

According to Iranian media, Tehran then attacked US bases in the Gulf region and in Jordan, including with ballistic missiles. Kuwait’s air defense was deployed, according to the army. Sirens also sounded again in Bahrain.

The U.S. military described the response as “proportionate” to Iran’s downing of the Apache attack helicopter off the coast of Oman. On Tuesday evening, Trump had blamed Iran for the downing and announced retaliation.

According to US media reports, the attacks in Iran occurred in three waves and targeted around 20 sites. Iranian media reported, among other things, explosions in the city of Sirik on the Strait of Hormuz and on the island of Qeshm. There were also reports of strikes in the area around the city of Bandar Abbas. According to the Iranian news agency Tasnim, two water tanks in Sirik were hit.

According to Iranian sources, thousands of residents on the southern coast are without water following the overnight U.S. attacks. The drinking water supply to the city of Kuhestak in Hormozgan Province and ten other villages has been completely cut off, the Mehr news agency reported, citing an official.

Report: Delegation from Qatar in Tehran for talks

At the start of the Iran war, which has been ongoing since late February, the U.S. government had promised a quick victory within four to six weeks. However, efforts to end the war and reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz to shipping and oil trade have stalled for weeks.

According to a report, a delegation from the Gulf emirate of Qatar has now arrived in Tehran for diplomatic talks on the Iran war. As reported by the Iranian news agency Isna, the visit is intended to discuss efforts to bring about a permanent end to the war.

Along with Pakistan and Oman, Qatar is one of the key mediators in the Iran war. Recently, military tensions and mutual attacks between the U.S. and Iran have once again fueled fears of a new escalation. For weeks, the warring parties have been negotiating a permanent end to the conflict, so far without a breakthrough.

Officially, a ceasefire has been in effect in the Iran war for two months. But recently, it seemed to be crumbling day by day: as early as Sunday, the conflict had dangerously escalated with Iranian missile attacks on Israel. Israel then struck targets in Iran. Trump called on both countries to implement an “immediate” ceasefire, after which both sides declared they would halt their attacks.

Amid the renewed tensions in the Iran war, the Israeli army also launched heavy attacks in Lebanon once again. The state news agency NNA reported numerous airstrikes across large parts of the south and east of the country. About a dozen people were reportedly killed. According to its own statements, the Israeli army is taking action against Hezbollah and its facilities in the south of the neighboring country.